Season after season, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle have been considered the best at their position and rewritten the record books in the process.
With Kittle hobbled by injuries this season, Kelce has been the league's unquestioned top tight end. And on Sunday, Kelce passed up Kittle in the record books with a new benchmark for receiving yards in a single season for a tight end.
With a 31-yard catch in the fourth quarter of Kansas City's 17-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons that saw K.C. secure homefield in the AFC, Kelce surpassed Kittle's 2018 single-season record of 1,377 yards to set a new standard. Kelce finished with 98 yards and a touchdown on seven catches on the day, giving him 1,416 receiving yards and 105 catches on the season.
It's the second time Kelce has owned the record, though he's assured of holding this one for much longer this time around. Kelce set a new mark with 1,366 yards in 2018 only for Kittle to break it roughly an hour later.
Entering Sunday, Kelce's 1,318 yards were the fourth-most by a tight end in a single season and he needed 60 to pass by Kittle. The 49ers TE quickly congratulated his Super Bowl LIV foe.
Earlier in the game, Kelce also became the first tight end with multiple 100-catch seasons.
Kelce had already become the first tight end in NFL chronicle to post multiple seasons with 1,300-plus yards receiving. Having entered Week 16 second in the league in receiving yards, Kelce also has a chance to become the first tight end to lead the league in receiving yards when he wraps up the regular season in Week 17 versus the Chargers.
For now though, Kelce stands atop the tight end ranks.
